[FRIDAY PLAYLIST] Arca's Mind Blow Of A New Record Will Have You Taking Personal Inventory

Communication by means of social media and technology can no longer be argued as being a less expressive mode of communication than any other. It’s quite interesting that people are using these modes of communication to, for lack of a better term, pour their hearts out. What else is a Pinterest page other than a digital bearing of the soul? “This is who I am,” is what we communicate, and we do so through image and curation of content just as much as we do through the written word.

Perhaps this is why Venezuela-born wunderkind electronic music producer Arca feels like one of the most important artists on planet Earth after just two solo records. On 2014’s ‘Xen,’ Arca developed a musical language that could be abrasive and sentimental, spiritual and atheist, and masculine and feminine all at once. Though good electronic music has never been devoid of emotion (can you honestly tell me you feel nothing listening to Brian Eno’s ‘Music for Airports’ or Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works Vol.2’ or LFO’s ‘Frequencies?’), it doesn’t seem that electronic music has ever been made with the intention of expression as such an obvious ambition.

Arca’s newest full-length ‘Sinner’ feels like an even more realized effort than ‘Xen’ and after only a few listens I can already argue it’s one of the year’s best releases in an extraordinarily strong year for new tunes. Arca’s millennial approach (that must have certainly been honed as being part of Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air’s GHETTO GOTHIK parties in which industrial music from the ‘80s and Houston rap were played in equal measure) finds Arca digging deep into his soul. The music is danceable, but dancing is not its ultimate conceptual purpose. It’s about looking within and taking personal inventory. Who am I? What do I like? Who do I like? These questions are asked throughout the record. Arca doesn’t need the written word to express himself. It’s all there in the sonics.

Arca’s aesthetic is clearly in high-demand. The man has of course been responsible for sounds on records of three of contemporary pop music’s most fascinating and experimental superstars: Kanye West, Bjork, and FKA Twigz. But it is in his music that Arca most defines himself.

In an article by Pitchfork, writer Phillip Sherburne deduced that Arca does seem to be the leader of a new aesthetic in electronic music along with artists like Rabit and Lotic. These artists are always weird, sometimes queer, and absolutely deconstruct what we assume electronic dance music is. With these Autre playlists, I have often dug up music that has been personally important to me in my own history. But the release of ‘Mutant’ has me thinking about the here and now. The artists on this playlist are some of the most important and culturally relevant artists working in any medium today. Hyperbole? You wish.

 
 

[REVIEW] Mark Bradford's 'Be Strong Boquan' at Hauser & Wirth Addresses Eighties Club Culture, the AIDS Epidemic and Cultural Taboos

text by Adam Lehrer

The color palette used by Los Angeles-based abstract painter Mark Bradford for the work in his stunning new show at Hauser & Wirth, Be Strong Boquan, is different than the palette that comes to mind when I think of his other work. While some paintings make strong use of the dark and austere colors most associated with his work, there are also bright pinks and yellows. Despite the vivaciousness of these colors, there is still a physical menace that emanates through them. Walking through the exhibit, I was reminded of that indescribable feeling that courses through your body just before you realize that you are full-blown sick: goosebumps on your arms, chills running through your spine, the inability to make a fist, a feeling of faintness.

The feeling elicited was not at all unintentional on the part of Bradford. Bradford has the uncanny ability to filter societal woes through abstracted images. In Be Strong Boquan, Bradford tackles issues personally important to him: society’s false representation of the queer identity, the brutality of the 1990s race riots in Los Angeles, and the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. The show seems emblematic of the fear of the deterioration of the body, and the militant efforts to destroy the bacteria and disease that infect the body.

Despite the heavy subject matter of his work, Bradford’s persona is anything but dark. Standing at about 6 ft. 5, Bradford has no problem talking about his work. In fact, he revels in it, and loves gauging the reactions of those that observe and examine it. He did just this the day of his opening. Walking a group of collectors, admirers, and journalists through the exhibition, Bradford illuminated on some of his conceptual choices for the show. These are some things I learned about Bradford.

Bradford harkened back to 1980s club culture for the show, capturing the exuberance of the scene, contrasted with the AIDS epidemic that was slowly, and later quickly, killing off the peoples that made the scene exuberant in the first place:

“In this show, maybe I was thinking about this space being the Roxy a little bit, but then I was also thinking about nightlife and what was on the horizon as far as the epidemic that was on the horizon, as in the AIDS epidemic. Interestingly enough, Hauser and Wirth kept all the roller skates from the Roxy and they shipped them all to my studio about a year ago and I kind of hung them from all the rafters and would roller skate around to find something abstracted in the social.”

When you walk into the exhibition, the first thing you will hear is the song‘Grateful’ by 1980s Disco performer Sylvester that is accompanying the piece ‘Deimos,’ a video installation. It gives you the feeling of the substances just starting to wear off and the lights going out at the club: the possibilities of the night coming to a screeching halt. Of course this is amplified when you realize the rest of the exhibition deals with possibility snuffed out by disease. Fitting then that the exuberant track is being performed by a musician who tragically lost his boyfriends to AIDS, neglected to get treatment himself out of devastation, and slowly saw his own body deteriorate.
“The song is ‘Grateful’ by Sylvester, I think Sylvester was in many ways ahead of its time. Anybody who lived through that time is grateful, I feel, just to be here.”

Though the exhibit does not explicitly depict the human body, the body is ominously present in each of the paintings and the sculpture.
“The marks that you see are cells that I looked at under a microscope that just became marks. The show does have to do with the body even though the body isn’t present. It’s more like a ghost body.”

He is interested in the time it can take for a monumental social plague, such as AIDS, for people to come together and speak out against the plague in a social setting. “With the AIDS crisis in the ‘80s, it was pure dying. It was almost political, God came down and brought this disease and it just wiped everyone out. In the ‘90s it started to get political. I’m interested in the military terms we use when it comes to things that deteriorate and infect the body. “We have to wipe this disease out.”

He has become interested in processes that involve waiting and time, particularly his stain paintings that make use of tracing:

“I used to work at a hair salon, and I used to trace the prices on the wall. Sometimes I reduce my palette. It’s like when you have a heavy meal so next you want to eat a salad and drink some tea. Sometimes I feel like my work can be so heady, so material. So I’ve been doing the stain paintings, where I use a reduced palette and it can become all about the trace and all about the times. You do the paintings in about a two-hour time. As this aged black paper, you pull it off, and it leaves traces. I like that even though it’s a very reduced palette, it has a lot of depth.”

The final piece in the exhibition, ‘Spiderman’ is a play on the black comedy best exemplified by Eddie Murphy in the 1980s. Murphy and other comedians often used homosexuality as joke material. The piece features video and the voice of an unseen comedian, a transgendered man. The piece forces us to confront our complicity in hate speech by laughing about dark jokes concerning Eazy E’s homosexuality (“Only Eazy-E can make AIDS gangsta,” says the unseen comedian) and the black community’s battle with AIDS. Bradford is interested in comedy’s ability to offend while simultaneously getting people to talk about uncomfortable issues.
“I remember watching Eddie Murphy’s ‘Delirious’ in the early 1980s. I wasn’t really interested in Eddie Murphy, really. But I’m always interested in the developing of the social contract. Like the “n” word. It is a part of the social contract now, but there was a time when it wasn’t taboo. When does something stop being taboo? I remember Eddie Murphy making jokes, “faggot look at my ass.” Everybody was just laughing! I thought if this is the early part of the AIDS epidemic, and this is now part of the social contract. What I often find is I like to turn comedy around. Like making the man the butt of the joke. I wanted to address social change. I do think there are things that just aren’t appropriate, like calling black women bitches and ho’s.”

Bradford’s work is compelling in its aesthetic beauty contrasted by its conceptual heaviness. He doesn’t know how to make art any other way.

“I’ve seen a lot of hard stuff in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of beautiful stuff in my life.”

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

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[FRIDAY PLAYLIST] Impulse Records under Bob Thiele

I was reading Kurt Vile’s Baker’s Dozen column on the excellent UK-based music site The Quietus, and I was a little surprised to read him name numerous records by John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders. When you listen to Kurt Vile, you are more likely to think of Neil Young, Bob Dylan’s collaboration with the Band ‘The Basement Tapes,’ or maybe even bands like Pavement. But his adoration of the spiritual jazz of the aforementioned musicians is testament to the strength of that music. Those musicians display influence on any musician that seeks to stretch a sound out. Coltrane and his brethren grew discontent with parameters, and considering how loose all forms of jazz are, they evidently were uncomfortable with ANY parameters. As a result, records ranging from Sonic Youth’s ‘Daydream Nation’ to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ can draw connections to 1960s free jazz and spiritual jazz.

Interestingly enough, almost all of the Jazz records that Vile named in the column come from a specific record label, Impulse! Records, during a specific period the 1960s, and were all produced by one man, Bob Thiele. Thiele had remarkable foresight in the world of Jazz. When Coltrane initially began to display an interest in spiritualism and improvisation and created ‘A Love Supreme,’ many producers of the time would have balked. But Thiele was with ‘Trane the whole time. The result? ‘A Love Supreme’ sold a gargantuan 100,000 copies. Can you imagine a record as far out selling anything close to that in the modern era? No, it just can’t happen.

‘Trane’s spiritual jazz manifested further in later releases like ‘Ascension’ and ‘Interstellar’ space. He was both meddling in Free Jazz as well as the avant-garde. ‘Ascension’ is an astounding achievement; the only directions ‘Trane gave to his players, that included McCoy Tyner and Pharoah Sanders, were to end their solos with a crescendo. Sanders’ own ‘Tauhid’ was also a watershed moment for free jazz.

While Pharoah represented ‘Trane’s more Free Jazz leanings, his harpist wife Alice Coltrane manifested his interest in the spiritual and made some stunning albums with and without her husband. She incorporated Middle Eastern sounds that had nothing to do with jazz, but nevertheless created monumental walls of sound that can transfix a listener under the right circumstances.

Really, there is too much to say about this fruitful period of this amazing record label to go on at length. The musicians included in this playlist speak enough volumes: Albert Ayler, Chico Hamilton, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Archie Shepp, Sonny Rollins, and Mel Brown. There is a lot of music there and I apologize, but sometimes massive amounts of listening is the only way to really get into this type of music. Enjoy.

Pop and Circumstance: An Existential Review of Grimes’ New Album and The State Of Popular Music

Paris Hilton reworked album by Banksy, with live cockroaches. photograph by Barney Pell

Editor’s note: Alex Kazemi is one of our favorite “voices of a generation” – a voice that has risen angelic and rebellious above the Tweeting and Snapchatting hordes. In a recent podcast, Bret Easton Ellis called Kazemi a “millennial friend” and “a contrarian 20 year old with a brilliant grasp of the contradictions that exist within his generation.” In the following review, if it can be called that, Kazemi shares his views on Grimes’ new album and wonders: “If Grimes can have a career in pop music, why can’t reality TV stars Scheana Marie and Heidi Montag?"

text by Alex Kazemi

 

Earlier this year indie artist Grimes tweeted "Now that indie music is obsessed with pop I feel completely bored by it”, an early indication and self-exploitation of her new album Art Angels. With one listen through - it is clearly a pop record.  It’s not a surprising move, from someone who dropped a Rihanna-reject single as her own single, and after poor response would back track and say “I made this song to be bought.”  It would be hilarious to hear the day, a similar sentiment came out of the mouth of someone like a young Britney Spears, an artist who will never be afraid of the word: pop star.

This idea of pop only being cool when it's under the guise of indie-art is wrong. The most creative pop songs are inside the corporate discography's of pop stars like Britney Spears. You like Tricky? You like to get trippy? Um, have you ever heard "Touch Of My Hand" off 2003's In The Zone? 

It’s, like what? Whoever needed the indie world, to make pop socially acceptable, or “cool”? Pop is pop. It’s music for the universe. Sometimes cheap pop is better, sometimes cheap is tastier.  Grimes is an example of someone who makes “smart pop music” that is tailored for the "music intellectual," the type of person who is not supposed to feel embarrassed or find it ironic to be listening to pop music because it's "actually creative, and you know smart pop music," but what is smart pop music? Is it when the artist behind it is the self-aware one controlling everything rather than a team of people conspiring on an album for a face to perform? If Grimes can have a career in pop music, why can’t reality TV stars like Heidi Montag or Scheana Marie? Why should there be a time and place when pop music is valid? All pop music should always be valid. Stupid or smart, it’s valid.

2006’s "Stars Are Blind" by Paris Hilton, to most millennials (one including CHARLI XCX) is one of the best pop songs of all time but not because it's Paris singing it but because it's a toasty tropical song that washes you away to someplace else in the way pop music should, and most of us who heard it for the first time - were children, too young to ever think to question the motives of a Reality TV star heiress that was making a record with J.R & Scott Storch.  The actress turned pop star trick was normalized to us growing up in the early 2000s, from Lindsay Lohan to Ashley Tisdale. These people were, and are pop artists.

Now in 2015, a time where the most watched people on TV: Reality TV stars like the women on Real Housewives and Kim Kardashian have released singles, this is just normal. There were even torturous rumors of teen terror Kylie Jenner releasing a single last year. It's a nu sacred rite of passage. You go on reality TV, once you finally reach d-list status, you record your single, drop it on iTunes on your own label and it becomes a trashy cult classic for a lucky few and then we all move on with our lives.  I'm sure Juliet from Bravo's Ladies Of London is going to drop her new single "Fashion Is My Passion! (Stylist From London)" any day now. Half a decade ago, reality TV star Heidi Montag dropped her debut album SUPERFICIAL, it featured major pop producers, one including RedOne, who at the time was the madman behind the sounds of GaGa's opus The Fame Monster. Why wasn’t Heidi's music treated the same as GaGa's? I’ll never know. It's not like vocal talent means anything in pop (see Haillee Steinfield). There can be something beautiful, disgusting and entrancing, listening to a young woman who clearly grew up worshipping mega pop idols like Madonna record vocals with such plastic and powerful delusion.  It is now strange to think that Montag may have had ulterior motives being on The Hills, a focus to further her own pop career. 

Heidi's music is not accessible, and to some is unlistenable - it's because not many people are brave enough to step into a dark world that even Barbie, herself might not be ready to go into. 

Heidi Montag, would release gorgeous self-made iMovie music videos, long before Lana Del Rey. One still exists under an abandoned YouTube account “HeidiMontagRecords,” where a teaser for the never released video for “LOOK HOW I’M DOING,” a 33-second clip of paparazzi taking photos of her. Flashes burst, as she steps out of a black car - a fetish of her own nothingness.  

"It's not like vocal talent, means anything in pop...there can be something beautiful, disgusting and entrancing, listening to a young woman who clearly grew up worshipping mega pop idols like Madonna record vocals with such plastic and powerful delusion."

It could be that Montag was born to be a cult-super pop star, who would only exist in a once in a life time televised Miss Universe performance, and a Superficial promo club tour that can only exist in our imagination.  Unfortunately, Heidi Montag, is the real life, unfinished pop star. 

It is true that Heidi's early 20s sex-kitten days are long gone, but since she turns 30 next year - it could be a great time for her to deliver a spa-lounge record, about coming to terms with her own mortality and the tragic loss of fame. An experience, many people beyond her years might never have. I believe Montag is capable of some fire-torch laments, and haunting shoegaze moments while remaining her natural gift for pop. We are ready to hear your screams, Heidi.

Scheana Marie, the reality TV star of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules - has been hard at work on her pop career since the show’s 2013 premiere, using it as a platform to get her music out, while living a double life as a waitress at SUR.  The show aired haunting footage of her performing her single that sounds like the price it is sold for: “What I Like” to an empty Hollywood audience. Some people may see her as a talent show act, but for her it is real – scary and fascinating, lost in the imagination. A delusion and ambition that could out-flame the early Montag, herself.

On the season premiere of the newest season of Vanderpump Rules, Scheana Marie held a decade party for her 30th birthday. She decided to dress up as VMAs 80s Madonna. The majority of pop stars today do that, everyday; the only difference is they get paid for it. The majority of the world may perceive Scheana as a "basic bitch," like every other American 30 year old woman who posts countless duck-lip selfies, goes to Hanson concerts and puts her hand on her hip in a skin tight dress at any given photo op, but maybe it's time for "basic bitch" pop to infiltrate and end our exhausting boring competitive costume party of colored hair, and predictable shock. A club girl pop star who loves being normal and partying, sounds like a refreshing spa-day for the pop world. Someone should get her in the studio fast, or she should make a Kickstarter to fund her debut album. Possibly, Starbucks could fund her next video. She could start off, where Paradiso Girls stopped. Her normality, is a gritty asset - the pop world needs. 

If either Scheana or Heidi, ended up in the studio with Major Lazer or Avicii - what would make these girls not deserve the spot? Maybe, Marie and Montag’s refreshing approach to pop music - desperate, hungry delusion is actually something endearing and genuine, in the time of Meghan Trainor. A void of vocal talent is important. Scheana Marie and Heidi Montag on Top 40 beside today’s groundbreaking acts like X-Ambassadors and OMI could be nothing short of revolutionary. 

The purity and beauty of reality TV stars turned pop-stars like Heidi Montag and Scheana Marie is that they are the opposite of ironic. There is nothing hilarious about their music, they want to be pop stars, they live and die for this shit. It's that simple. It's real. It's not getting the last laugh, or caring to think the world thinks they are ironically experimenting with the genre, in a way that is "smart and valid.”  It's a horrifying and gaudy "Give me my fucking video. Give me my dance track. Make me look like a star, and let's take over the world" kind of thing. Isn't this, what real art angels are made of?

11 Things You Need To Know About The Artist Known As H.C. Westermann

"See America First," a comprehensive exhibition of sculptures and drawings by the late, great H.C. Westermann, is on view now at Venus Over Manhattan. The installation features a wide range of Westermann's work, spanning from 1953 to 1980. Here are 11 Things You Need To Know about the artist before you visit the exhibition:

1. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps

Westermann served in World War II on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, weathering kamikaze attacks by Japanese fighter planes. He also served in the Korean War. Thus, much of Westermann’s work draws on the idea of a nostalgic and romantic America, one that yearns for a return to traditional values.

2. He was a carpenter

Before his service, Westermann worked in the logging industry of the Pacific Northwest, where he picked up woodworking and handyman jobs. Westermann used the skills he learned as a carpenter to create sculptures that confronted the realities of his time at war and the post-war psyche of America in the 40s and 50s. Mr. Westermann once said he wanted his constructions to look like they’d been made by a mad cabinetmaker. 

3. He started out as a painter

Westermann attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on the GI Bill, where he studied painting. His paintings combined geometric abstraction with surrealist images, inspired greatly by the work of Paul Klee. After college in the mid-1950s, he turned to sculpture. 

4. A cross-country road trip inspired an entire series of creations

Mr. Westermann and his wife (painter Joanna Beall) embarked on a cross-country road trip in 1964, which inspired a series of cartoon drawings in 1968. These drawings, entitled “See America First,” were the inspiration for the newest showing of his work at Venus Over Manhattan.

5. His letters to his dealer included wild drawing and fantasies

Several wild and beautifully illustrated personal letters to Westermann’s long-time dealer Allan Frumkin are included in the newest exhibition.

6. He regularly made art as gifts for friends

The exhibition includes a box with sergeant stripes inlaid in its lid’s underside that he gave to the Los Angeles painter Billy Al Bengston as well as a relief carving he made for the West Coast Funk artist William T. Wiley. “For Baby Ed from Cliff” is a small, rustic rocking horse that he gave to the Pop artist Ed Ruscha.

7. He inspired a generation of underground artists

Westermann’s work challenged the pop art status quo of the 1960s. Movements such as the Bay Area’s “Funk Art” scene and the famous Chicago Imagists Hairy Who were inspired by Westermann’s art.

8. He was featured on the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” album.

In 1967, he was one of the celebrities featured on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely hearts Club Band. Mr. Westermann appears in the third row alongside George Bernard Shaw and Albert Stubbins.

9. He refused to comment on his work

When asked to interpret an object of his, Westermann said, “It puzzles me too… How can I explain a work like that?”

10. He was given a retrospective at the Whitney

In 1978, Westermann was given a full-fledged retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Reviewing the Whitney exhibition, John Russell wrote in The New York Times: ''There is in his work a combination of fiendish invention, boisterousness, naivete and a high-souled ethical overdrive. He never evades a question, and he doesn't mind coming on like an unreconstructed preacher.''

11. His Views On Art and Death Were Profound

Westermann died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in Danbury, Connecticut in 1981. Of life, he said, ''I feel that life is very fragile. We're all just hanging by a thread; it's very spooky. I can best come to grips with it by doing my work. I guess that's why I'm an artist.''

"See America First" is on view now until December 19th at Venus Over Manhattan, 980 Madison Avenue, New York, NY. Text by Keely Shinners

[FRIDAY PLAYLIST] Ode to Southern Lord Records

Despite decades of evidence to the contrary, music snobs still have a hard time viewing heavy metal as a musical form worthy of the label, "art." Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley have fought that notion throughout their careers. With the announcement of the duo's main band Sunn O))) releasing its first new record since 2008's 'Monoliths and Demensions (except for the 2014 'Soused' that saw the band collaborate with legendary UK singer Scott Walker), I have decided to use this Autre Playlist to pay homage to the duo's work as well as their record label, Southern Lord.

Anderson and O'Malley are artists that happen to work in heavy metal, but are not pretentious enough to claim that they are elevating heavy music. Instead, they see metal as one of the mediums that they work in. Before Sunn O))), both men were in the more traditional doom metal band Thorr's Hammer. They got artier and arguably more extreme with the blackened doom metal band Burning Witch. The most conceptual and long-lasting of their projects however has certainly been Sunn O))) (named after their amplifier of choice). Heavily influenced by Earth's second album '2,' Sunn 0))) has consistently utilized loud droning guitars swirling in and out of one another to dizzy the listener into a transcendental lull. It is experimental and psychedelic, but most certainly metal. O'Malley is also an extremely talented artist and designer (see his work on his website, ideologic.org), and that shows in Sunn O))))'s stage performances; the band, draped in black robes, surrounds themselves with mist and darkness creating something of a ritualistic seance. It is thrilling, and even though I don't listen to heavy music like I used to, I have been consistently fascinated with the band for over a decade.

Though Anderson and O'Malley started Southern Lord in 2008 to release their own music, it quickly became one of the most important labels in underground metal. Southern Lord has helped introduce some of the most interesting metal acts of the last few decades to the world. Khanate, a noise doom band founded by Anderson and god screamer vocalist Alan Dubin, set the pace for similarly terrifying bands like Gnaw and (funnily enough) Gnaw their Tongues. Wolves in the Throne Room were one of the first bands to draw connections between black metal and shoegaze, crossing over to Pitchfork-approved success. Black Breath, one of today's most successful crossover bands, put their early records out on SL, as well.

O'Malley and Anderson have also used Southern Lord to release music by the people that influenced them. Earth (side note: Earth's front man Dylan Carlson was Kurt Cobain's best friend) found a re-birth on Southern Lord, ditching the drone metal sound for a western-inflected psychedelia that serves as the perfect soundtrack to reading Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian.' Striborg, a mysterious one-man black metal band,  found wider success due to his association with the label. Even very traditional metal bands including Saint Vitus and Pentagram have released music via the imprint.

Most recently, Southern Lord has become a coveted label for crust punk and hardcore bands. The only unifying theme in the label's world is that it be good and heavy, at least according to the label's honored leaders. 

Now bring on the new Sunn O))) record. 

Five Things We Learned About Gaspar Noé's "Love" In 3D

Gaspar Noé's 3D sex magnum opus "Love" made its grand premiere at the The Theater At Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles this week. The director himself was there to answer some questions after the film, moderated by KCRW. Here are some things we learned from watching the film and from snippets of Noé's Q&A. 

1.    Noé cast friends and non-actors, and shot the film on a two-million-dollar budget in just five weeks

Eschewing the use of a professional casting director, he put together an ensemble largely comprised of non-actors, including his friends, his wife, crew members, and interesting people he met at bars and parties (his three main leads, Karl Glusman, Aomi Muyock and Klara Kristin, were cast this way). Casting decisions were finalized just one week before shooting began—Karl Glusman recalls a phone call from Noé in which the director urged him to “ignore his manager and jump on a plane.” Somewhat controversially, Noé named many of his characters after his own family and friends. Noé himself also makes a cameo in the film, as a hotheaded art gallery owner.

2.  Love may be Noé’s most tender film to date

There is a distinct and almost surprising lack of violence in the film, especially when compared to Noé’s brutal, decidedly confrontational earlier works such as I Stand Alone (1998) and Irréversible (2002). The film is chaotic, subversive, sensoral and explicit, as one would expect, yet there is a noted tenderness to the graphic love scenes that saves them from seeming gratuitous. They are realistic, naturalistic, necessary to the story. The violence that does occur in the film is of an emotional nature—and is exhibited in a particularly aggressive screaming match between the two main characters that takes place in a moving taxicab following an episode of infidelity. In the vein of the French New Wave filmmakers Noé idolized growing up, he worked with a minimal script, and much of the dialogue in the film was improvised by the actors. In preparation for this scene, leading man Karl Glusman asked leading lady Aomi Muyock to tell him the most hurtful thing a man could ever say to her. Her response, delivered viciously in the film by Glusman’s character, Murphy, caused a palpable reaction in audience members.

3.     Noé’s goal for the film was to portray love and sexuality in a realistic way not usually seen in films

He describes having sex as “one of the most natural and most relaxing things on earth, besides swimming and dancing,” noting that most movies either show actors having sex without kissing (as in pornography) or kissing and not having sex (as in the majority of mainstream love stories). “Movies seem to portray a world in which true love isn’t sexual. And that’s a huge lie. Life is erotic,” Noé told Vanity Fair, “I wanted to portray in a narrative film love as I knew it: ecstatic, painful, addictive.”

4.     There are funny moments in the film

Noé’s tongue-in-cheek sense of humor is keenly felt throughout Love. Though the dark, moody trailer may not suggest it, several scenes had the audience giggling: most notably, a painfully awkward sexual encounter between the main couple and a transvestite, the main character’s decision to name his child Gaspar, and, of course, the most talked-about shot in the film, in which the main character ejaculates directly onto the camera. Lead actor Karl Glusman explains that this shot was filmed at the end of his very first day of shooting, and that he initially “wanted to get right back on the plane.”

5.     On the shooting and editing of the film:

Noé’s decision to shoot in 3D sprung from his feeling that intimacy is much more strongly felt in 3D than in 2D. He recalls filming his dying mother on a 3D camera, and the way that the images he captured appeared incredibly lifelike. In a film that centers on passion and sex, he wanted the faces of his characters to appear more touching, more emotional—to have a visceral effect on audience members. Because 3D glasses darken the image onscreen significantly, Noé enhanced the film’s color grading in order to retain the vivid, vibrant colors captured by masterful cinematographer and longtime collaborator Benoît Debie. He also utilizes an editing technique that mimics the blinking of a human eye (a method also seen in 2009's Enter the Void). In Love, though, most of the shots are either static or filmed with a Steadicam, in order to avoid audience members becoming nauseous from the sensory overload of 3D combined with the movements of a handheld camera.

Gaspar Noé's "Love" is now playing in Los Angeles. It will be opening later this week in New York. Text by Annabel Graham

A scene from "Love" 



5 Favorite Works from Input/Output Auction Presented by Artsy and Sotheby's

text by Stas Chyzhykova

Artsy's inaugural online auction with Sotheby's closes tonight. Input / Output features phenomenal pieces by leading emerging artists and contemporary art's pioneers. I am sharing my 5 favorite works from the sale that are collector "must haves:"

1: Richard Prince's Untitled (Portrait) from his recent Instagram series has already become iconic following the block-buster solo show at Gagosian London. In this new body of work, Richard Prince—the master of reappropriation—uses the “selfie” as a central framework. He elevates this ephemeral imagery to explore issues around the “cult of the self,” while subverting the fleeting nature of social media. By adding his own comments to each work—often pulling phrases directly from television advertising—he incorporates another element of “self” into the portraits. The series was recently exhibited at Gagosian Gallery in London. Bid here. 

2: Robert Heinecken, a precursor to appropriation and one of the most significant figures in contemporary photography, founded the photography program at UCLA. A work from the very same edition, Cybill Shepard/Phone Sex, was included in Heinecken's retrospective at MoMA in 2014. In this sculpture, Heinecken takes advantage of the flagrant presence of commercially produced, life-size cut-outs. He humorously manipulates the pop culture imagery, exaggerating its provocative nature to lay bare the ties between photography, sex, and consumerism. Bid here. 

3: The inclusion of Mark Flood's Apple 6 comes on the heels of his recent solo show at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Flood's works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art; the Menil Collection, Houston; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Apple 6, a large scale painting, is a reminder of Apple's un-disputable impact on our every day life and culture. Bid here. 

4: Michael Manning Full Forever; Let Her Go is a captivating diptych that was originally created using touch-screen tablets and image software such as Photoshop, and then translated into 3-D. Manning was recently included in the New Museum's exhibition "First Look: Brushes", focusing on artists who paint with the computer. Bid here. 

 

5: Parker Ito embraces technology and the Internet, disrupting the trajectory of traditional art-making. Due to its highly reflective and textured surface the artwork changes color depending on the viewer's vintage point and if photographed with a flash. In “The Agony and the Ecstasy” series, Parker Ito explores the gap between digital and physical engagements with works of art. Capitalizing on the reflective quality of 3M Scotchlite fabric, Ito’s work resists photographic documentation and takes on new life when translated from the gallery space to the computer screen. Bid here. 

Text and list by Stas Chyzhykova of Artsy. Input / Output is closing tonight, Friday, October 30th, at 9PM PT, so now is your last chance to bid. All works will be on view at Fused Space in San Francisco from October 22 to October 30, 2015.

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Best of Horror

text by Adam Lehrer

While I'm not a huge Halloween fan, my love of horror cinema is only bested by my love of music. Luckily, the two mediums have always gone hand-in-hand. Films simply can't be scary without tense and eerie sounds gripping the film viewer as it goes along. 

Horror film music arguably has had more influence on contemporary music than all other film scoring combined. It's hard to imagine industrial music, noise, drone, dark ambient, and some electronic music without the blueprints laid down in soundtracks to films like 'Eraserhead,' scored by David Lynch himself. 

While 'Eraserhead' isn't strictly a horror film of course, it is very scary. Making a film scary is no small feat, explaining why some of the scariest films ever made (pretty much all of Lynch's films are terrifying, another example is Lars Von Trier's underrated 'Antichrist') are done by auteur directors. Scary requires a singular vision.

John Carpenter is the true auteur of B cinema. His best films are better directed than most of today's prestige dramas, and Carpenter had complete creative control over every decision in the films, even scoring the music himself. His score for 'Halloween' both created and elevated the slasher genre, and every time we hear those ringing synths we look over our shoulder waiting for Michael Myers to brutally butcher us. His synth work has been undeniably influential, precluding the whole "cold wave" genre that would come into its own in the '80s and later be popularized by bands like New York-based Cold Cave in the '00s. Also included in this playlist is Carpenter's score to 'The Fog' as well as a bonus track, a Carpenter remix by New York noise icon Pruriert, aka Dom Fernow.

One of the few rock bands to ever get famous specifically for soundtrack work, progressive rock band Goblin's work with Italian Giallo Horror director Dario Argento was groundbreaking. Argento developed a new style of horror that was bright, stylish, big. and very fucking scary. Goblin's work encapsulated all of that, with near-shlocky use of synths and horn sections. The band's best known work was for classic witchcraft film 'Suspiria,' but their work was equally good on the less stellar film 'Phenomena' (which has the most disgusting person falling in pit of decomposing body goo ever shot). My favorite of Goblin' soundtracks is that for 'Tenebre,' my favorite Argento film. Spotify didn't have it though.

Kenneth Anger's most watchable film, the religious horror 'Lucifer Rising,' is scored to an epic soundtrack by Bobbu Beausoleil, who is currently serving a life sentence for his connection to the Manson Family. Beausoleil has a role in the film but his soundtrack, marked by fuzzed out guitar riffs and a free jazz-referencing horn section, is a marvelous achievement. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine the heavy psych bands like Acid Mother's Temple without it.

Mica Levi's soundtrack for last year's 'Under the Skin' reminds its viewers how important sound is to horror films. Much of the film would simply consist of Scarlet Johannson seducing sad sack men had it not been for the fact that those scenes are marked my screeching tonal soundscapes. Every facial gesture reeks of pure menace as a result.
 

And of course this list wouldn't be complete without the OGs. Krzysztof Komeda's OST for Roman Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby' exemplified how sound can be used to amplify a character's growing anxiety. Bernard Hermann, one of the greatest film composers ever ('Taxi Driver,' etc.), used tension in sound to push Alfred Hitchcock's narratives along ('Psycho' wasn't on Spotify, so we settle for 'Vertigo'). Finally, has anyone ever been able to swim in the ocean minus anxiety after hearing John Williams' score to 'Jaws?" I think not. 

Happy Halloween everyone, be safe!

6 Things We Learned About Artist Justin Adian From His Talk During His Exhibition at Skarstedt Gallery

photograph by James McKee


Artist Justin Adian titled his recently closed show at Skarstedt Gallery ‘Fort Worth’ after his hometown. The show features Adian’s bold organic paintings created by stretching oil enamel-painted canvases around foam cushions then mounted on wood. Some people would argue that Adian’s work is abstract, and they’d be right most of the time. But Adian also engages in pop culture iconography; one painting references Raymond Pettibon’s infamous Black Flag logo. Adian doesn’t so much mash-up high and low as he does reject high-low as a concept. Good art is good art.

What is a major influence on the show is the Texan town that it is named after. Not only in its referencing of Texan Minimalism but there is a mellow vibe to Adian’s paintings in the show. Looking at them almost strips back your inhibitions and stresses more than they force the viewer to ponder the meanings in their minds. There are references to design and architecture, and it appears like Adian is perfectly fine with his work being seen as something of an interesting object in the background of a space.

On Wednesday night in October, Adian sat down with art historian Alex Kitnick to discuss some of these concepts. What was interesting is that Kitnick, a tried and true art historian, seemed to have difficulty relating to Adian and his huge breadth of pop cultural influences. As a result, the conversation never really took off like it could have. Nevertheless, here are six things we learned about Justin Adian at his discussion of ‘Fort Worth.’



1. He considers his work to be paintings, but they usually start as drawings

“They start as drawings. I think of the final products as paintings, but as the material grows they increase in lines and negative space.”



2. Raymond Pettibon is everything to him, and he loves referencing Pettibon in the work.

“One of the artists that I loved before I ever got into art was Pettibon. I wanted to make an homage to the Black Flag bars but in pink. It’s called ‘Slip it In,’ after my favorite Black Flag record.”

3. He utterly rejects the delineation between high and low art.

“Everything in the work is just stuff that is in my head whether it be minimalism, counter-culture, or music. I’ve never grown out of any of my interests, my interests just grow.”


4. When working for a “White Cube” exhibit, his work comes out a bit more slick than usual.

“These works are pretty slick for me. When it comes to these Chelsea shows I tend to make these slicker and more gentle pieces.”


5. He uses boat paint, as in paint that you use to decorate your boat.

“This is all boat paint, so it’s really shiny. It elicits weirdly northern European commercial colors.”


6. His next show will be far less slick.

“I am working on stuff that will entail much more aggressive gestures, like two panels on a face, so it will be coming out at you and pushing back at the piece.”

Justin Adian's "Fort Worth" has closed, but you can check out images from the exhibition here. Text by Adam Lehrer. Follow Autre on Instagram: @autremagazine

A Fond Farewell to the Legendary Raf Simons and Autre's Educated Predictions On Who Might Take Over At Maison Dior

When it was announced that Alexander Wang would be leaving his position as creative director at Balenciaga, no one was immensely surprised: critics scoffed at collections and more importantly, sales were down. Raf Simons’ decision to leave Dior comes as much more of a shock. The brand has stated that Raf is leaving due to “personal reasons,” including desire to further grow his menswear brand and do other things with his life. Fair enough. Running two brands has to be one of the most emotionally and physically draining lifestyles a human could possibly lead (with all the Raf Simons and Dior collections, Raf was doing a whopping 10 collections a year). But if you have seen ‘Dior and I’ you might have noticed Raf also had early difficulty adjusting to the atelier of the house. When working with his own brand, and to a lesser extent at Jil Sander, Raf probably grew accustomed to having an idea and then having his team do everything in their powers to bring forth that idea into fruition. The film shows Raf angry over things like finding out that his Dior pattern cutter had flown to New York on a couture trip when he is on a three week deadline to unleash his first Dior collection to the world. Though the film eventually portrays Raf and the Dior atelier coming to terms and celebrating a magnificent first collection, it stands to reason that this wouldn’t be the last time that the designer would find himself annoyed over the stifling big business-minded practices of Dior.

I would have liked to see much more Raf Simons at Dior. His departure is made all the more surprising when you watch this video from the Business of Fashion: Raf seemed like he was all in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCkpCPZ59l8. But there’s no point in lamenting. Instead, let’s celebrate the wonderful Raf Simons X Dior moments: Fall 2012 Haute Couture, FW 2013, SS 2014, Resort 2015, and so much more.

All and all, I’d argue that in only thee years Raf Simons established himself in the lineage of the great Dior creative directors along with Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, John Galliano, and Christian Dior himself.

So who the hell is going to be able to fill the Raf Simons-sized hole in the middle of Dior’s womenswear department? Here's a few educated predictions by Autre's trusty fashion editor-at-large, Adam Lehrer.

Christopher Kane:

When Scottish designer Christopher Kane founded his namesake label in 2006, the tight fitting silhouette was at the forefront of fashion. Kane revived a looser fit, allowing billowy and loose-fitting garments to hang from the body that remained effortlessly elegant. That effortlessness would be ideal for Dior, a label that prides itself on putting out clothes that women feel both beautiful and comfortable in. His color palette, full of blood reds and powerful blues, would feel right at home in the context of Dior ready-to-wear collections. On top of all that, Kane seems to have a true understanding of quality, and has always known how to price his garments accordingly. If you pair that knowledge of quality with the limitless resources and powerful atelier of Dior, Kane might be able to match the success of his predecessor in a role as creative director at the label.


Phoebe Philo:


Considering how successful, even revolutionary, Phoebe Philo has been in her role as creative director of Céline, it’s unlikely that LVMH would encourage the designer to leave her role and take on a new one at Dior. Philo has always had the remarkable ability to leave her mark on a house while paying respects to its ethos as she has done in her roles leading Chloé and Céline. She is very often thought of as something of a minimal designer (as was Raf), but minimal can be such a reductive term when describing what she does (and what Raf does). I would better describe it as restrained. Restrained fashion can be interpreted as effortless, and effortless is central to the mission of Dior. She also is not given enough credit for her penchant for feminine opulence; take a look at her FW 2015 collection that featured zebra patterns and pom poms. And with Dior always claiming to be ground zero for discovering knew ways for women to dress, isn’t it about time they let a woman decide those new ways?


Gareth Pugh:

My personal wild card. As unlikely as seeing Gareth Pugh enlisted to a house as commercial as Dior is, you have to admit that the idea is interesting. Pugh would most likely be hard pressed to accept a position at Dior, considering this is the man who squatted to be able to afford his runway shows before his clothes actually sold anywhere. But Raf was once a designer that people best thought of for making male noise rockers and Goths look luxurious, granted his successful tenure at Jil Sander. The point is: a conceptual designer isn’t out of place at a house like Dior. Raf is conceptual. Galliano is certainly conceptual (the dude set a haute couture show to the Stooges, one of the best fashion shows ever by the way). Yves was definitely conceptual. I am very interested in seeing what Pugh would be able to do if he was given the constraints that Dior places on him. In his own label, he’s proved that he can do whatever he wants and he’s done so wonderfully. But what would his clothes look like if he knew he had to hit certain sales figures? Pugh’s SS 2016 collection felt like a new direction for his brand where he seemed openly interested in high society and it was one of his best shows to date. I guarantee that anyone with Pugh’s talent level could be a commercial juggernaut; it’s just about honing that vision into something relatable.

Alber Elbaz:

According to WWD, Alber Elbaz has just exited Lanvin. At first, I was pretty taken aback. Elbaz, at this point, IS Lanvin: the Israeli designer is coming up on his 15th year at the label and has enjoyed immense success peddling an unabashed feminine aesthetic, revolutionizing the fashion sneaker (along with Lanvin menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver), and seeing his garments worn by Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, and Sofia Coppola. So why would he leave now? There was apparently tension between him and Lanvin majority shareholder Shaw Lin-Wang, but it appears that that tension has existed for a while. Us industry folks will most certainly speculate on this being a power move for Elbaz, seizing the opportunity that Raf left open at Dior. Though Raf did wonderfully at Dior, his pension for futurism and conceptual ideas assumedly put him at odds with the atelier and shareholders. That tension can yield some amazing collections but isn't a built-to-last situation. Elbaz was a frontrunner to step in for John Galliano at Dior in 2011. Perhaps Dior is looking at a top-shelf designer that is unabashed about his love for feminine classicism. Raf did well at re-defining Dior, but Elbaz should do excellent at defining Dior. Exciting fashion stuff folks!

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

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The Year of The Zine: Autre's Picks For the Top Ten Zines of 2015

2015 is when the zine went mainstream. Some of our fave artists dabbled in the fine craftsmanship of the stapled chapbook that many people think dates back to the early days of punk, but it actually can be dated all the way back to 1776 when Thomas Paine published his famous pamphlet, Common Sense, which rifled enough feathers for thirteen colonies to declare war and independence from the British. Fancy that. However, the modern zine, which is shorthand for fanzine – not magazine as many believe – was a photocopied, hastily stapled together collection of appropriated imagery and art school angst. In 2015, the zine has held true to its DIY Xerox aesthetic, with a few surprising contributions – and of course some obvious contributors from the likes of one of our favorite photographers working today, Sandy Kim, and from one of our favorite new Los Angeles queer-cult collective, Gurt. Here are ten of our favorite zines that came out in 2015, so far.  

Sandy Kim LA XXX

When we interviewed Sandy Kim in May, we described her pictures as a “neon-hued punk diary of her life.” Her most recent project LA XXX, calls the artist a “Busy Petite Exotic Korean Treasure” at the bottom of the newsprint-style zine. The artist’s background in shooting for the band Girls alongside post-sex portraits of her boyfriend lends its gritty feel to her new photos. Published by SFAQ[Projects], the 20 pages cover everything from penises made out of pills to nude self portraits. The limited run of 250 copies can be purchased on the SFAQ[Projects] website or you can check out more images from the run on her Instagram.

Jonathan Leder A Study in Fetishisms Vol. 2

Jonathan Leder’s second volume of A Study In Fetishisms dives into the American captivation with blondes, and their various accompanying reputations. Curated by Amy Hood, the 64-page zine explores the timeless idea of if “blondes really have more fun” in text, and through Leder’s film photography. Featuring blondes with a girl-next door as well as early Playboy look, the zine can be purchased through Imperial Publishing.

Chloë Sevigny No Time For Love

No Time For Love is almost like finding and reading Chloë Sevigny’s diary that a child with a sticker collection was in possession of before you. The zine is a compilation of photos of Sevigny’s past loves, both platonic and romantic. To preserve their identities (for the most part), Sevigny placed stickers over their faces. In addition, she also included clippings from 90s tabloids about her which provides an intimate and at the same time outsider feeling to the zine. The 28-page zine can be purchased through Innen Zines, in Euros of course.

Tom Sachs Satan Ceramics

Shhh, this zine actually came out in 2014, but we had to include it in this list, because it's so good. The artist collective Satan Ceramics is composed of artists Tom Sachs, Pat McCarthy, JJ PEET,  and Mary Frey. The sculptors use a variety of different mediums including clay in their symbolic works. As a result of their weekly art gatherings, Satan Ceramics, the 64 page black and white zine, is comprised of images of their show at Salon 94 and can be purchased on Tom Sachs’s website. Ranging from images of Tom Sachs’s Cyclops, a porcelain and bamboo stereo to Pat McCarthy’s tonal reductions fired on porcelain, the zine will make you wish you had gone, or feel smug about going to their installation at Salon 94.

Brad Elterman No Dogs On Beach

Brad Elterman’s archive of photos is a gold mine. Lucky for you, he’s put the best of them into a zine in his new publishing venture No Dogs On Beach. The iconic rock’n’roll and pop culture photographer started his career as a 16-year-old photographing Bob Dylan in concert and escalated to taking photos of names such as David Bowie and Michael Jackson backstage. After taking a hiatus from photography, he’s back to capturing images of today’s biggest influencers, and just put out his 80-page zine No Dogs On Beach which can be purchased on Smoke-room’s website.

The Fifth Goal 1998-2003: Transcendental Graffiti Zine (aka Freight Train Graffiti Zine)

Although The Fifth Goal 1998-2003: Transcendental Graffiti Zine is a book, the eight zines that the book is composed of speak to the true nature of what a zine was at its original conception years ago. The black and white, photocopy, cut and paste construction of the late Blake Donner’s work documents freight train graffiti art from 1998 to 2003. In The Fifth Goal, one can see the development of Donner’s passion for the unique art form through the way his zines shift in content ranging from spiritual questions to interviews of graffiti artists to drawings of train workers. The 436-page book has been created as a tribute to Donner by his friends and will be released at Printed Matter’s 2016 LA Art Book Fair on January 29th through February 2nd. It can also be purchased here. 

Deanna Templeton They Should Never Touch the Ground

Deanna Templeton and her skateboarder husband Ed Templeton have been described as “the godparents of zine culture,” it’s easy to understand why once you look at their work. Deanna Templeton’s history in street photography has led her to publish numerous works, her most recent zine being They Should Never Touch the Ground. Published by Deadbeat Club Press, Deanna got inspiration for the images from a trip to Europe where she noticed a lot of people sporting American flags. They Should Never Touch the Ground examines the different ways that the American flag is used and portrayed in society today in the U.S.A. and can be purchased on Deadbeat Club’s website.

James Concannon Machismo

“MACHISMO is a collection of self shot/self starring unedited “dick pics” taken around the country with an iPhone” reads the back of James Concannon’s new zine. Open the pages, and you’ll find Concannon’s interpretation of the 21st century sexual revolution driven by technology and vanity. Taken all over the United States, with different backgrounds, and at different points in masturbation, it gives the dick pics relatable, real life feeling. The artist launched MACHISMO at a gay bar, and the limited edition run of 40 copies was printed by Girlfriend Gallery. It's currently sold out, but you can try here. 

GURT the Zine – Issue 2: Gurtrasia

This little zine hails from the land of Los Angeles from of a collective of queer rebels who know how to party and how to put together an incredible zine. Last week saw the release of issue two of Gurt, aptly named Gurtrasia, at Bad Reputation and then the after party at Bar Marmont on the sunset strip. Issue two is described as such: "The Gurts have created a whole new world for all of #US to thrive in, but is it really any different from the Gurt they left behind?" Who knows, we say. Issue two includes work by the likes of Dan Savage, Marcel Alcala Christopher Argodale Brendan Cameron and more. You can find Gurt here.  

Sarah Piantadosi Milk Jagger

Through her new zine Milk Jagger, Sarah Piantadosi, a well known fashion photographer, breaks out of the limiting editorial photography world. There’s a dichotomy between the beautiful and the sleazy in the images, which is echoed between the contrast of the black and white images and their bright tie-dye like border. The pictures in the zine are based off the “Milk Jagger” immoral cop alter-ego of Michael B. Wallace, a musician. Her photos from Milk Jagger are also being exhibited at Doomed Gallery in London starting October 27th. You will be able to find a copy of the zine there. 

Text by Madeline Guyette and Oliver Maxwell Kupper. Follow Autre on Instagram: @AUTREMAGAZINE


[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Motorcity Soul Rebels

Text by Adam Lehrer

Whenever I get the proverbial gun to the head and am asked if I could only listen to one genre of music forever, I go with soul and funk. Why? Because it's everything: amazing lyrics, amazing singing, political, emotional, makes you dance, makes you cry, makes you sex.

Motown Records in the '60s and '70s was a supercharged inferno of creativity. For every icon there's an under-praised equally deserving hero. For every Diana Ross, there's a Gladys Knight. I mean, FUCK, Gladys Knight, the power of that voice pre-dated the energy of punk and the heartbreaking candor of R&B.

You get guys like Stevie Wonder (my undeniable number one all-time favorite artist) and Marvin Gaye, and Jr. Walker all swinging to the music, fighting the power, and making beautiful jams under one roof. Now, that would be like Kanye, Beyoncé, and Frank Ocean all in the same studio at the same time with a unified front of hope and glory. That was Motown Records. It was a movement. There are no corporate labels like it and there never will be again. Something like that honestly can't exist. People don't love music in the same way that they did in those days.

Lots of people start thinking that MDMA came into popular recreational use during the days of Detroit Techno and Chicago House, but there are rumors that Temptations producer Norman Whitfield was copping love fizz since 1971. That makes total sense. Any fan of Motown would agree that all of those records have a physical buzz that just floods your body, pulsates within it. I'm an electronic music fan, but I can honestly say no music feels like Motown. 

A Beautiful Bouquet of Rebelliousness: Ten Things You Need To Know About Artist and Former Andy Warhol Superstar Brigid Berlin

Brigid Berlin Untitled (Self-Portrait Double Exposure), ca. 1971-1973

Brigid Berlin is an American legend. Deranged and beautiful, her life is a head on collision between high society decadence, urine soaked carpet fibers and methamphetamine filled veins, forming a beautiful bouquet of rebelliousness. On view now at Invisible Exports, an exhibition explores the life and ephemera of this strange specimen, from her polaroid’s of Andy Warhol’s factory and the New York avant garde to her obsessive audio recordings to her wonderful tit paintings that make for fine framed prints on any discernable gentleman or gentlewoman’s desk. Just who is Brigid Berlin? – She is a rebel in the purest form. She is an artist and a documentarian. She was once a part of Andy Warhol’s circle and entourage. Today, Berlin is alive and well and, no doubt, as weird as ever. Here are ten things you need to know about Brigid Berlin.

1. Her Parents Were Socialites and She Grew Up In A World Of Manhattan Privilege

Polaroid of Gerard Malanga and Brigid Berlin by Andy Warhol

Her mother was Muriel Johnson "Honey" Berlin – on her deathbed she was still ordering outfits from Saks. Her father was Richard E. Berlin – chairman of the Hearst Media empire for 32 years. Sometimes she would pick up the phone and Richard Nixon would be on the line. On one occasion, Lyndon B. Johnson accompanied the young Berlin to a rehab in Mexico. 


2. She Rebelled Against High Society By Over Eating

Brigid Berlin Untitled (Self-Portrait Double Exposure with Refrigerator), ca. 1971-1973

Her mother tried to give her a dollar for every pound she lost. Honey Berlin would also take her young daughter to get shots of amphetamines and dexedrine from various doctors around New York city to speed up her metabolism. Brigid was also sent to a school in Switzerland to lose weight, but she would steal other girls’ money and go on pastry binges. 

 

3. Brigid Meets Andy Warhol and Becomes A Central Figure of His Entourage

In 1964, curator Henry Geldzahler tok Brigid to meet Andy Warhol at his silver factory. Berlin would wind up collaborating with Warhol on multiple projects. She starred in Andy’s films Chelsea Girls and Ciao! Manhattan. Brigid also worked at the front desk of the factory well into the 80s taking phone calls and transcribing interviews for Interview Magazine. 

3. Brigid Berlin Becomes Brigid Poke After Giving Out Doses of Meth and B12

Gerard Malanga & Brigid Polk - 1969

Around the time that Berlin met Warhol, she was living in various rooms of the Chelsea Hotel. It is there that she earned the name Brigid Poke because of her habit of doling out “pokes,” which are simply injections of B12 and methamphetamine. In the quasi documentary film Ciao! Manhattan, directed by Warhol, Berlin can be seen shooting up whilst giving an interview. 

4. Brigid Found A Blank Diary Notebook and Turned It Into The "Cock Book"

Berlin’s “cock book” is one of the most famous pieces of ephemera from the sixties. After finding a blank notebook, she would go around to places like Max’s Kansas City and Andy Warhol’s factory and had some of the most famous artists and figures of the time draw phalluses. Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Peter Beard, Basquiat, Leonard Cohen and more contributed. Artist Richard Prince bought the cock book at auction for $175, 000. 

5. Andy Warhol Once Told Everyone That His Works Were Actually Made By Brigid

In one of Andy Warhol’s famous practical jokes, he tells Time magazine in an interview that his paintings were actually made by Brigid. People took it very seriously and the value of Warhol’s work decreased significantly. Both Warhol and Brigid were forced to retract their statements. 

7. She Would Obsessively Document Her Life and The People In It

From the sound of her own peeing in hotel rooms to polaroid portraits of some of the biggest names in art and the social scene, Berlin would capture everything. She also used reams of tape to record audio from the goings on inside Warhol’s factory. Some of those recordings were used in the Velvet Underground’s album Live At Max’s Kansas City. 

8. Brigid Became Known For Her Tit Paintings

Untitled (Self-Portrait as Mermaid), ca. 1971-1973

While Andy Warhol was using silkscreens to interpret pop culture, Berlin was dipping her breasts into ink and paint, and then transferring them to canvas and paper to create a unique series of “tit paintings.” Many of these tit paintings can be seen at Invisible Exports as part of the exhibition, It’s All About Me. 

9. Needlepoint Became A Medium That Brigid Would Use Later In Life

Installation view Glenn Horowitz Bookseller

Taken from the salacious and trashy covers of the NY Post and Daily News, with headlines like “I Snorted My Dad” and “Bad Heir Day,” Berlin would create amazing needlepoint pillows. They were the kind of thing you’d find in cheap craft shops and are typical of the time passing handiwork that members of the upper crust turn to during the twilight years. Ten years worth of Berlin’s needlework pillows were shown last year at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller.   

10. You Will Soon Be Able to Purchase A Book of Her Polaroids

Untitled (Self-Portrait with Eyes), ca. 1971-1973

Currently available for preorder, Brigid Berlin Polaroids captures a large selection of her personal collection of Polaroids for the very time. From the introduction by director John Waters, “Brigid was always my favorite underground movie star; big, often naked, and ornery as hell...The Polaroids here show just how wide Brigid's world was; her access was amazing. She was never a groupie, always an insider."

Brigid Berlin "It's All About Me," curated by Anastasia Rygle, will be on view until November 15, 2015 at Invisible Exports, 89 Eldridge Street, New York, NY. Follow Autre on Instagram: @AUTREMAGAZINE



[AUTRE PLAYLIST] An Ode to Amphetamine Reptile Records

When Nirvana blew up, the door was wide open for loud rock bands to be signed to lucrative major label deals, and of course, many bands did just that. It's still a testament to how crazy a time the early '90s was for the music industry that a band as bizarre as Royal Trux was signed to Virgin Records. Even then, there were still plenty of rock bands that wanted to be as weird as possible and wanted nothing to do with the majors. For them, record labels like the Washington State-based Amphetamine Reptile were blessings. 

Amphetamine Reptile was founded by a then-US Marine named Tom Hazelmyer. Hazelmyer needed a label to release the albums by his noisy garage rock band, Halo of Flies. The label has become known as something of a haven for Noise Rock, but that description is reductive. It was more or less a rock n' roll label, a really weird rock label, but rock nonetheless. A band like Cows that mixed aggressive punk with blues found a welcome home on AmRep. As did completely unrelated bands like the Space Rock-leaning Cosmic Psychos. In 1992, the label released the New York band Hemet's mega successful 'Meantime' record. Helmet was fairly conventional for AmRep, but the success of the album is credited by Hazelmyer as keeping the label afloat through the '90s, allowing completely uncommercial bands freedom to not worry about selling, sort of like how AMC uses 'Fear of the Walking Dead' to keep the brilliant but ratings averse 'Halt and Catch Fire'  going.

Hazelmyer was able to tap influential musicians from yore to put records out on AmRep. The Australian sludge punk band Feedtime and the former Chrome psych-punk guitarist Helios Creed both put out full-lengths on AmRep. Even the relatively big Olympia-based sludge band the Melvins have an AmRep credit. When you count in singles, bands as diverse as New York noise metal band Today is the Day, Japanese abstract noise weirdos Boredoms, and grunge gods Mudhoney all have put music out on the haven of creative freedom that was Amphetamine Reptile. 

[REVIEW] Greater New York Survey at MoMA PS1

Text by Adriana Pauly

On Sunday MoMA PS1 finally opened the doors to its awaited exhibition Greater New York and let anxious New Yorkers roam through the galleries. The exhibition has been co-curated by Peter Eleey, Douglas Crimp, Thomas J. Laz, and Mia Locks and encompasses the works of 150 New York based artists. Stepping away from the traditional focus on youth the fourth iteration of MoMA PS1’s landmark exhibition aims to balance our desire for the new and nostalgia for the past.

With a significant percentage of works dating before the 2000s, such as Henry Flynt’s 1979 documentary series of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s SAMO tags or Jimmy De Sana’s 1970 and 1980 documentation of the East Village punk and sex scene, the exhibition seems to seek to return to a grittier New York. Overall, there is a focus on documentary within the older works, bringing a loss of interest in durational investigations to light in todays New York art scene. The only exception are the moving photographs of Deana Lawson, shot over a number of years by correction officials at a prison in upstate New York, documenting same family’s visits.

Another constant in the exhibition is a focus on collections such as Nancy Shavers presentation of found objects or the tabletop sculptural installation by Liene Bosquê. Made out of hundreds of souvenir architectural miniatures the artist recreates an urban grid made purely out of kitsch objects. A more literal manifestation of a collection can be seen in the installation by the husband-and-wife duo Marco Romeny and Alisa Grifo called KIOSK.

One entire gallery of the old school building is dedicated to figurative sculptures. Tony Matelli’s male and female nude people are juxtaposed with more amorphous and indigenous works by Jeffrey Gibson as well as free interpretations of figurative sculptures such as Hayley Silverman’s noodle bowls. The landscapes created within each bowl are filled with various little figures, they are oddly grotesque and fall in line with a prevalence of kitsch notable in other works.   

Overall, the exhibition successfully gives a vast overview of the evolution of New York’s contemporary art scene, yet it is disappointingly shallow at times and fails to create a true impact on its visitors. Most works are easily consumed and do not reflect the struggle and tension that is involved in becoming an artist in New York.

Greater New York will be on view until March 16, 2016 at MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY. It will accompanied by a series of performances and video screenings. Photographs and text by Adriana Pauly. Click here to see more photos of the survey.  

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Second Wave of Black Metal

Text by Adam Lehrer

Before I continue, I should mention that I really don’t listen to extreme music with the same regularity that I once did. When I was about 20 to 22 years old (2009 to 2011 or so) I was living in Tucson, studying creative writing, and carrying a major chip on my shoulder. I was wearing black exclusively (even in punishing Arizona heat), watching horror films, reading Anton Lavey, using hard drugs, and listening to the most extreme forms of music that I could find: harsh noise, death metal, power electronics, power violence, dark ambient, and lots and lots of black metal. It was fun for a while, but I lacked the pervasive sense of unhappiness to really commit to that lifestyle. So I moved on, or back, to other forms of music that I loved: hip-hop, dance music, psychedelic rock, jazz, punk, etc.. But an appreciation for the explorers of extreme sound has persisted.

So, while introducing this new playlist, “Second Wave of Black Metal,” I would like to talk about neo black metal band Deafheaven and their new record, ‘New Bermuda.’ Metal traditionalists have called this band a slew of ugly names largely consisting of barbs aimed at their hipsterdom or perceived upper middle class backgrounds. Not only is the assertion that these guys are rich kids false, it’s also ridiculous. To say that only certain types of people can make certain types of music is classist and beneath us. I despise when people tell me that they hate Drake because he isn’t “hard enough.” What does his hardness have to do with his music? To say only people that grew up poor and in gangs can make hip-hop is beyond reductive and would have robbed us of a great pop music talent. Drake is a monumental talent, and I am glad he makes music. Good music is good music, regardless of who is making it and where they are from.

That being said, I don’t think Deafheaven is that solid of a band, period. Black metal in 2015 feels boring regardless of its creators. The world has moved past double bass kicking drums and agonized screams. These guys may love the music, but it’s just not as powerful as it once was when black metal was new. The second wave of Norwegian black metal was a fiercely experimental and exciting wave of new music. My belief in this fact has nothing to do with the makes of this music actually burning churches. It is that the music excites me. That is what we judge artists by: their art. Not their backgrounds or their authenticity as perceived by you.

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287. FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

[FASHION REVIEW] Paris Fashion Week Round-Up

This is now the third Fashion Week round-up intro I have had to write. Again, I will have to touch upon what makes this particular round unique to the industry and important for fashion. But honesty, do I actually need to make an argument concerning Paris and its total domination of conceptual fashion? OK, here’s an argument for you: Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yammamoto, Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, Junya Wattanabe, Olivier Rousteing, and need I continue? A lot happens at Paris: some bad, some good, and some utterly transcendent. It’s too much to write about really. It’s the longest of the fashion weeks and it can be easy to forget about incredible shows mere days after they happened. Today as I am baffled yet excited over the announcement of Demna Gvasalia of Vetements being named creative director to Balenciaga while former Balenciaga godhead Nicolas Ghesquiere continues to alter the fabric of what we know to be Louis Vuitton, I almost forgot that Rick Owens put on the funniest and most conceptual collection of the week. So another season is over, and the buying begins. See you at the menswear shows.

ADAM LEHRER'S PICKS

Dries Van Noten

There have been times when Dries Van Noten has gone over my head. He is a highly conceptual and independent designer, but more than that, I don’t always feel connected to the clothes. But I was in Opening Ceremony last week (browsing, not buying) and came across a huge rack of Dries FW menswear stuff and all one can say is wow. His clothes have a physical touch that is vibrantly unique. You want to wear it, all of it, even the stuff that doesn’t in anyway line up with your own style.

So I keep the fact that I’m looking through a screen in mind when I watch Dries Van Noten’s SS 2016 collection come down the runway. Dries is a wonderfully referential designer, and this collection seemed like it was in the same ball field as Marc Jacobs’s New York stunner a couple weeks ago; a look back at the beauty, ugliness, glamour, and tragedy of old Hollywood.

When you think of “elegant fashion” you probably conjure up something glitzy or couture-ish, but Dries has totally created his own version of elegance. His color palette; often marked by shiny hues of green and bright magenta; always look slightly off allowing the garments that much more of a statement. Only Dries could send a huge printed satin dinner jacket right before a bright pink robe. The looks started to get more brutal after about 20 models culminating in a stunning black flared out skirt. And as chic as this collection is, Dries wants women to wear these garments. I can tell just by looking at them that they would probably feel very special to wear.

Rick Owens

Some might wonder when Rick Owens, if ever, will not use some kind of conceptual gesture within his runway shows. It has to be said, wondering what Rick will do has become one of the premiere talking points at Paris Fashion Week. Not only did the man completely invent an entire look (Health goth or grunge chic or street goth whatever the fuck you want to call it), but he also has a knack for generating enormous buzz in a way that feels smart, thoughtful, and funny. Rick Owens, the Dark Lord of High Fashion, is the funniest motherfucker in the whole game. For the last menswear show, garments revealed penises. The clothes in the SS 2016 womenswear show were, in some cases, models themselves. And somewhere backstage, Rick was grinning.

Rick had models’ legs hanging from the necks of models while other models cradled models like babies. Who knew there was this much you could do with a model? Rick was commenting on the strength of women (not a “strong woman"). Rick sees that women are able to shoulder the burden of others peoples’ pain as if it were their own, which reaches its metaphorical realization during childbirth. It felt like Rick was saying to his own mom, “Mom, I know things aren’t always perfect, but I love you. You are amazing.” By that stretch, the show was both funny AND poignant, and even made me want to call my own mom.

Some of the garments; cropped and grungy bomber jackets, black and white cloaks, asymmetrical tunics; felt like good old Rick. But as he’s done more of in recent seasons, there were some risks taken here with both color palette and shape. The introduction of orange and light pinks did not feel at all out of place within the collection, and transitioned nicely to the more brutal looks.

So, once again, Rick nails his show with equal parts theatrics and the fashion design chops to back it all up. Here’s to the last independent 100 million dollar man in fashion!

Vetements

I am amending this review upon learning that the leader of the enigmatic design collective that is Vetements, Demna Gvasalia, is taking over for Alexander Wang at Balenciaga. Wang’s Balenciaga show was one of his strongest, melding the coture looks and streetwear aesthetics that he often tried too hard to keep apart from one another. But it was clear that he never made the stamp on the house that we all hoped for when hearing of his appointment. With that, I thought that the Kering group would aim for a Balenciaga designer that had a firmer grip on tailoring and true luxury. Early thrown around names like Chitose Abe and Paco Rabanne creative director Julian Dossena both made perfect sense to me. Both designers have brilliant flourishes for elegant luxury, extreme silhouettes, and experimental fabrics. But Kering and Balenciaga instead go with another designer, Gvasalia, who is once again known for grungy takes on streetwear classics. But unlike Wang, Vetements has a design aesthetic that is truly unique and considered in both their shows and the clothes that they retail. They recycle fabrics and their garments are all instantly recognizable without overt branding. They have become street style favorites of cool kids everywhere. And most of all, people are excited, with even Cathy Horyn praising Gvasalia’s appointment at Balenciaga. Gvasalia worked with Martin Margiela for eight years, and that commitment to progressing design could bring Balenciaga their first push towards the future since Nicolas Ghesquiere left years ago.

And about the Vetements SS 2016 show, well, it kicked ass. I’ve been loving this brand for a while, with their gigantic bombers and sweatshirts that fall on women just so and their denim made of random pieces of recycled jeans. No brand on earth is nailing how style-minded people want to dress so well. Really want them to start doing menswear. But anyways…

Staged in a Chinese Restaurant (the FW 2015 was in a gay club, they are the best at finding random amazing places to stage shows) and with street and Instagram-casted models walking alongside professionals, the SS 2016 show was worthy of any and all hype. Always featuring dude and girl models wearing the clothes, The first model to near-run down the runway was none other than other weird dude designer Gosha Rubinchinsky wearing a standard open short sleeve black shirt, yellow t-shirt and cropped leather pants, a simple opening making way for more extreme but always wearable looks. Stand outs were lime green blazer and mini-skirt over a chopped up tank top worn by a beautiful long legged athletic girl, big blazers worn over argyle sweaters with sharp cut leather knee highs, and dudes wearing huge smocks. Gvasalia also introduced some new dresses that still spoke to his gallery girl following with everything looking just perfectly off. New hoodie designs were introduced as was a ‘Star Wars’ poster re-imagined as wide legged trousers. Perhaps the most Vetements-defining look was the final: a Chinese collar trench coat with top buttons buttoned, no shirt worn underneath, studded leather belt, cut off denim mini-skirt, and thigh-high black leather boots. Vetements is a brand for the creative people that are so successful they can wear whatever the fuck they want whenever they want: Kanye West, Lorde, etc.. The brand is intimately aware that the modern artist with Internet access is a little into everything: from the lowest forms of pop culture to the most head scratchingly avant-garde, from big t-shirts to couture. Balenciaga, bring it on.

Yang Li

The former Raf Simons apprentice Yang Li doesn’t get his due credit. Paris is saturated with talent, and perhaps his all black everything feels a bit overdone to some of the style set. But if the Swans-referencing SS 2016 presentation is any indication, few designers understand brutal fashion like Yang Li.

Dan Thawley’s take on the collection for Vogue was interesting; that Yang Li’s punk girl is returning from her years of rebellion to her bourgeoisie past and creating a new identity for herself. In that, you will find traditionally elegant garments cloaked in references to dark post-punk music and dingy clubs full of unsavory behavior. The girl can change her life, but those memories brand her and build her. In a flourish certainly reminiscent of his teacher Raf, Li introduced beautiful overcoats sewn with patches emblazoned with lyrics by the mighty Michael Gira of Swans (I actually really really want one). Asymmetric coats covered black dresses embellished with elongated skirts. Li stretches out minimalism and though he references some of the key conceptual designers of the last 10 years (Rick, Raf, Rei), it feels like he is really carving out a new identity in fashion.

Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji’s SS 2016 menswear collection saw the designer apply his own artwork to his garments, and his womenswear collection was soundtracked by Yohji’s music. At 72, the designer continues to find himself re-invigorated creatively. We are lucky to have him.

In some ways, Yohji went to his all-black roots with this collection, but the flourishes spoke to concepts for the future. The excess fabrics coming out in all directions in the dresses and the near tye-dye looking color splashes looked so wild that there was absolutely no way Yohji didn’t consider every angle. His experimentation with denim was like nothing I’ve ever seen using the fabric to embellish an avant-garde dress. The clothes looked quality and made for Bjork’s next runway excursion. The final dress deviated from the all-black concept in a deep blood red. This was Yohji’s statement of vitality. Leading avant-garde fashion through four decades now, he is here to stay.

Maison Margiela

Though John Galliano once again opted out of the bow for the SS 2016 collection in respect to Martin Margiela’s house codes, he certainly wasn’t hidden. Galliano’s stamps were all over this collection for Margiela feels all the better for it. His first couple collection saw him playing with Margiela ethos with his takes on the masks and such. But Galliano has always been a punk designer even when working at the biggest houses. In that, he’s not so out of place at Margiela as some editors speculated he might be. On the contrary, the house feels new again, but it’s still Margiela.

The “Lo-fi, sci-fi” titled collection saw Galliano introduce dozens of products to the Margiela arsenal including huge cumbersome looking bags (maybe not so successful) and some really interesting shoes marked by ankle bracelets and stockings brought over the shoes. The collection moved deftly through color, styling, and theme: geishas in Navy jackets and skirts, Margiela-recalling minimalist lime green and white all-over coats, guys in black chest-exposing dresses. Galliano is surely happy to be able to design anywhere, let alone at a house as coveted as Maison Margiela. With this collection, he looks poised to bring Margiela into the future.

Dior

You know I’m going to write about Raf Simons. Like Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke of ‘Game of Thrones’) said before the show, “I get to wear some beautiful costumes on the show, but on the street few things feel like wearing Dior). Raf redefined menswear luxury countless times, but now at Dior he seems to specifically tap into what exactly is luxury in womenswear. His clothes bring out the innate beauty of a woman without cloaking her in an abundance of fashion.

Raf is rightfully thought of as a conceptual designer, but at Dior he has relished the ability to take on commercial appeal as a concept. I love records like the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds,’ Janet Jackson’s ‘The Velvet Rope,’ or most recently the Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness.’ These are big and bold experimental records that apply adventurous sound techniques to music that never veers from pop sensibilities. I see Raf’s Dior in the same way. The SS 2016 looks were pretty breezy: black and white dresses, power suits, minimal pops of royal blue and red. Raf looks as comfortable in his position at Dior as he does wearing his Raf Simons X Sterling Ruby paint splattered shirt that he wore taking his bow.

Paco Rabanne

Honestly I knew nothing of Paco Rabanne creative director Julian Dossena until Olivier Zahm interviewed him for the most recent issue of Purple Fashion. From then, I was intrigued. Dossena worked at Balenciaga with Nicolas Ghesquiere until the latter quit four years ago. With him, went Dossena. He was quickly snatched up by the Puig Group to consult for Paco Rabanne to revive the futuristic image of the label that was cultivated by its namesake designer in the 1960s. He earned the creative director role eight months later and now it is safe to consider that futuristic image revived.

Paco Rabanne’s SS 2016 collection feels both retro-futuristic and regular futuristic with a line of sportswear that utilizes progressive fabrics as well as an overall vibe of attractive sleaziness. Pleather fabrications come in gold and look breathable and wearable. A tracksuit top looks on par with what menswear label Cottweiler does with its re-thinking of fabrics for the future. Sleeveless shirts carried prints with Native American motifs reminding the viewer that progression must first come in the form of thoughtfulness. Julian Dossena was being tossed around as a name to take over Balenciaga, but honestly, I’m so much more excited to see what else he has in store for the Paco Rabanne label.

Sacai

Chitose Abe, the other design name thrown around as a Balenciaga recruit, has an extremely popular aesthetic. Because of her brand’s recognizability, people seem to forget that she is also just an amazingly complex designer. Her clothes all reek of design. There isn’t one color or shape that isn’t 100 percent considered.

Her SS 2016 collection was filled to the brim with conceptual layers and interesting construction choices.

Abe has her touchstones with the vintage vibes and exotic looking blankets, but she seems to take it into new realms with each collection. Like her SS 2016 menswear collection, Abe referenced ‘80s LGBT friendly New York club Paradise Garage with the collection in the form of t-shirt prints. And like that club, the SS 2016 womenswear collection is full of chaos and nonsense. But within the chaos lies a well-planned and executed political statement.

Louis Vuitton

I know it might be early to say, but I am finding Nicolas Ghesquiére’s version of Louis Vuitton way more interesting than I ever found Marc Jacobs’s to be. Ghesquiére has always been an avant-garde designer, but he has managed to tailor his vision to brands with well-established house codes and re-create those codes over and over. Louis V is a travel brand, and Ghesquiére looks towards the future of traveling. The SS 2016 collection references ‘Tron’ and the sci-fi movies of Ghesquiére’s truth as an army of globetrotting cyberpunks marched down the runway. The clothes here were really crazy: opulent and luxurious in equal measures.

It’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting to buy pieces like the leather moto jacket printed with Lou Vuitton logos and American stripes. I also loved the color-blocked pieces. Ghesquiére speaks to a very specific customer: his own. Those who love the house of Vuitton will have to progress their tastes because Ghesquiére drastically moves Louis Vuitton forward. Fashion is barely able to catch its breath to keep up with this man’s imagination.

JULIANNA VEZZETTI'S PICKS:

Comme Des Garçons

The elegant birds of paradise flew at the Comme des Garçons SS16 showcase. The conceptual practice of adornment was living and breathing in this collection: the oversized ostrich laced collars and the rose-like crown hair designs. I believe the spectacle of it all actually helps one focus on the tailoring and design rather than overpower it. Rei Kawakubo forever draws the connections between fashion and art. The dresses here appear to hide certain aspects of the female frame and then radiate new life from the garment itself. The oversized button holes in the tweed peacoats give a fairytale ending to a seamless collection of wit and glamour.

Loewe

Ice queens gallivanted down the runway at JW Anderson’s second collection for Loewe. The SS 2016 collection featured drool-worthy trousers made from plastic to the embossed metallics and a silver high waisted pleated pant. The theory of less is more would be better categorized as giving more in the right places. JW Anderson has mastered that tact. The collection had an asymmetrical balance to each look; one mirror shard earring would be paired with black patent lizard embossed trouser and a tan suede jacket. Though I’m slightly appalled by the “put a bird on it” brooch but the rest of the accessories make up for it. I loved the shimmery long bracelets and the oversized Koi fish necklaces (I have vintage versions of the real thing!). I detected referencing to Japanese atelier; note the slight resemblance to Issey Miyake “Pleats Please” collection. The monogrammed pieces brought a sporty component to the collection without losing its “Posh Spice” elegant simplicity. J.W. Anderson can be a mood ring changing colors but stays true to his style DNA.

Céline

When we reminiscence about past Céline by Phoebe Philo collections, we often think about smooth lines marked by a casual chic but twisted by a pervasive surrealism. That is not what we think of when faced with the SS 2016 collection. In this collection there was a subliminal sexuality expressed with white sultry silks and black tailored lace. The woman is a housewife preparing her escape to the concrete jungle. The elegant ribbed knits with the high chalk tailored waists accompanied by safety pin necklaces appear safe but sharply drawn out. The palette of burnt oranges, pastel purples and army greens are complimentary to a woman that may be harboring a secret lover. The optical illusion within the disappearing waist in the finely tailored long blazer coat is design at its truest.

Haider Ackerman

I am caught inside the net of Haider Ackermann. The SS 2016 collection’s hidden detailing in the soft exposures of fishnets and candy colored hair veils leaves you feeling intertwined and in love. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the electric array of colors and textures. It was obtuse to his latter collections of dark blacks and greys. This would prove to be a challenging transition for some but not for Haider. Each drop-crotch trouser adds a new intermixture of color, sheen or a classic black. The SS 2016 look is very punk as well poetic and romantic. The long duster cover ups are luxurious silks and velvets that transcend the effortless quality of a Haider woman.

Miu Miu

Cohesive chaos is the body of work that Miu Miu presents eloquently time in and time out. I’m in love with the layered and tailored looks of tulle skirts and see thru apron dresses that populate the SS 2016 collection. The color story of rich purples and soft greens paired with a plaid laidback slack. The whimsical dark beauties race the runway like witches from Stepford. The oversized jackets and collars are a fatal sight; the collection of tobacco browns, colorful patterns and winter whites. The clash of Victorian silks with the strong dexterity of the leathers make an effortless collaboration. The eclectic style of art deco shapes and argyle patterns make a style reference to this timeless era. The Fred Perry-esque polo shirts make it a tangible line to collect and covet. The subtleties of the anklet lace ballet slippers and embellished boots w will be dancing in my head until the ever hopeful sale season.

Saint Laurent

The Saint Lauren SS 2016 collection felt a little different than previous ones. Hedi Slimane’s collection embodied maturity. Models wore long draping embodying a rigorous elegance. There were not many baby dolls here. This is a look I love and will wear with my Adidas campus sneakers. The women adorned crowns like princesses of the runway. They looked unfazed and too cool. The Wellington boots reminded me of a festival fairy with tousled hair smoking a cigarette while kissing your rocker beau. No one does leather like Hedi; it has become a staple piece for every season. This season’s leather jacket is slightly more slouchy and oversized than his classic perfecto. There is an honesty in the models that Hedi casts and the way he styles them. His ideal woman just woke up from a bender, had some morning sex and ran to another show. I adore the tenacity of it all. Bring on the texture and bring on the lush lifestyle.

Text by Adam Lehrer (Autre Fashion Editor) and Julianna Vezzetti

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Praise Jah: The Best of Dub and Reggae

Once in a while I find myself pulling out my dub and reggae records: Lee “Scratch” Perry’s ‘Ape-ology,’ The Congos’ ‘Heart of the Congo,’ Augustus Pablo’s ‘King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown,’ and even that glory hogging egomaniac Bob Marley, who just couldn’t live without the toe (I’ll quantify soon). I don’t listen to these records for the same reasons that hippie stoner burnouts do, which is primarily for the sake of wearing Birkenstocks and drug rugs to more occasions. I have always loved the music’s textures: the melodies swirling into one another all tied together through one very simple and elegant beat. It is very heady music, indeed, but it’s also very musical music.

Some people don’t understand the difference between dub and reggae music so I’m going to put it down for you. Reggae was a music that combined traditional Jamaican elements with the pop and rock music coming from the States. Dub borrows its name from the practice of dubbing instrumental, rhythmic versions of reggae songs to the B sides of 45 rpm singles. Basically, reggae requires a band and dub needs studio wizards. Reggae mostly has singing dub mostly doesn’t. That process of dubbing over reggae bands led to some of 1970s Jamaica’s best releases like ‘King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown’ and Keith Hudson’s ‘Rebel Dub.’

Dub is experimental music at heart. It requires the producer to sit in the studio for days on end searching for new sounds and precious rhythms. That sonic joie de vivre can be felt in every aspect of the sound if you really let yourself dive into this music. On the flip side, there was nothing experimental about Bob Marley. In fact, I had grown disdainful of Bob Marley; he had been ruined by the legions of frat boys playing “No Woman, No Cry” at keg parties when all of a sudden the white guy with dreadlocks deciphering Marley’s lyrics pukes all over your Nikes (True story). But last year I read a brilliant and violent book, Jamaican American novelist Marlon James’s ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings.’ The book follows Bob Marley’s attempted murderers in the days leading up to their assassination attempt on his life. It got me thinking about Marley again. Here was a guy who just loved having fun, loved soccer, loved women, and loved playing music being elevated to the status of a deity, certainly in his home country and even in the U.S. in some respects. But he was up to the task, and when you hear some of his songs you realize why he was the musical ambassador of Jamaica to the U.S. The man had the gift of connecting. There is concert footage of Bob on Youttube that will still make you feel like he’s singing right to you.  Few have ever been able to command a stage and elicit that kind of joy from an audience. But the pressure that man felt must have been intense. It would be like if Kanye West was born in a third world country and was tasked with not just being a symbol of hope for his people, but immediately being forced to become a political figure. Bob Marley literally woke up one day to find that the weight all of Jamaica was sitting on his shoulders, and he just wanted to play.

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

[FASHION REVIEW] Autre's Favorites from Milan Fashion Week

Oh, Italy. The land of luxury behemoths. Young fashion people scoff at Milan, but Milan is planting itself once more at the forefront of conceptual fashion. Versace and Prada will always be doing their thing. Damir Doma decided to leave the herd of Paris and create his architectural garments in Italy. Arthur Arbesser is injecting youth and idea-driven fashion into the city revitalizing Iceberg and launching his own brand. And, less we forget, Alessandro Michele is the hottest designer in fashion at Gucci. It feels like people are ready for Italian fashion again, and they certainly want Gucci to be relevant again. We’ve had so many years of “cool” and “arty” brands out of Paris and London that maybe the coolest thing to do right now is to pay heed to the luxury giants of Italy. It’s hip to be square, motherfuckers. – Adam Lehrer

Adam Lehrer's Picks

Gucci

And just like that, people give a shit about Gucci again. Italy has a new king, and his name is Alessandro Michele. It was only nine months ago that this guy was on the tip of no editor’s tongue and then three months and a women’s and a men’s collection later his influence has been felt radically at the house of Gucci and has reverberated throughout the fashion kingdom. The gender bending, fey dudes, and tomboy girls has been going on in fashion for a long time, but now as the standard at a house like Gucci it can be said to be the norm. Michele’s FW 2015 collection had a lot going on. It was as if Michele had bottled all these ideas up for years and was just waiting to be able to unleash them upon the world. The SS 2016 collection felt more singular. These clothes felt influenced by the ‘70s but at the same time they were insanely beautiful. There were fucking 66 looks in this collection and every piece has a different print! That is unbelievable in and of its self. I also like that Michele, while he does “bend” gender norms, still seems aware that a man’s body looks best in man’s clothes and ditto a women. The women’s looks were dresses and the men’s clothes were suits. I’m not going to say much about Michele other than that it speaks to the speed of the fashion system that a man can go from an accessories designer at a fading luxury house to one of the most important designers in the world at a hot luxury house in two seasons. Tom Ford’s takeover of Gucci was legendary. Michele’s will be radical.

Versace

 Fuck it, I’m going for it: VERSACE VERSACE VERSACE VERSACE! Versace is eternal. Even at its most irrelevant, Versace reigns supreme. Case in point: the Versace SS 2016 show saw Donatella reaching out to the women of the world. The message was clear: be yourself and conquer, ladies!

I think people have this bias against Italian brands that they are stuffy, overly traditional, and classist. In some cases, this might be true. But Donatella Versace is a woman of the world. The soundtrack, entitled “Transition” by Violet and friends, called on for women to stop listening to the shit people say about them. Women can really run the world, and Donatella wants to help you.

Versace is also intimately connected to American hip-hop culture, dating back to Biggie Smalls up to today with Nicki Minaj and the previously quoted Migos. Donatella embraces this connection, and her runway was the most multi-cultural of Milan Fashion Week. There is something so beautifully unpretentious about Donatella Versace, whether it’s the unabashed sexiness of her shows, her embracing of celebrity culture, or her support of younger designers like JW Anderson and Anthony Vacarello. That lack of class warfare has allowed Versace to remain relevant in the modern fashion sphere.

Speaking of the unabashed sexiness of her clothes, it has to be said: the girls in the Versace SS 2016 show looked HOT. Sorry to let my more base boring straight male instincts take over, but it has to be said. All the garments, smashingly luxurious, were slitted everywhere: legs, torsos, hips, necklines, and breasts are all well displayed. Street influences met couture and it all looked great. May Donatella reign.

Bottega Veneta

On the menswear end of things, I love Bottega Veneta. Its suede Chelsea boots are literally my favorites boots in the world (made popular by Kanye’s grungy dressed down wearing of the $1200 statement boots, I’m rather poor so I have wear the Top Man suedette versions). Creative director Tomas Maier has been a little more on the nose when it comes to womenswear, however. Bottega Veneta’s whole thing, super luxurious versions of everyday staple pieces, doesn’t always translate to great womenswear shows. The SS 2016 show felt particularly realized then. Maier was inspired by the open country, and presented some dazzling outerwear pieces. The tracksuits with cropped pants didn’t look anything close to sporty, but certainly could be worn for sport. It was almost a rebellious look. Coming back to the city though, a beautiful pantsuit emblazoned with a camo print was eye grabbing and kept to the theme despite it certainly not being outerwear. Maier is really coming owning his role at Bottega Veneta.

Marni

Of all the Italian brands, Marni perhaps feels the most like one of the Paris-based brands in its embracing of contemporary art and harsher aesthetics. Despite that though, the collections offer tons of colors and print. Marni can be abstract and accessible in equal measures. The Sonic Youth of fashion labels? Sure, why not.

Consuelo Castiglioni’s SS 2016 saw an apron-like shape emerge in various forms on the runway: in tunics, in dresses, and wool structures.  This collection had mystery to it. With all the shapes and layers draped upon the women, I couldn’t help but wonder what was underneath. It’s like when I was in middle school and girls started looking so painfully beautiful but also so utterly alien. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew that I wanted it.

The color palette of Marni SS 2016 is all over the place but cohesive. Hunter greens meld into browns and bright reds meld into blues. Marni still feels smaller than it should be, but maybe that is why it works. It’s a big Italian brand that holds its aura of the austere.
 

Damir Doma

Damir Doma, in his second Italian outing since moving his brand from Paris to Milan, was smart to leave the City of Lights. In Paris, he is just one of dozens of young designers taking on brutal, conceptual, abstract, and “arty” fashion. In Milan, however, he is practically the only one. He stands out in Italy.

Doma works closely with his manufacturers, and perhaps that is why he decided to move to Italy. In any case, his unique relationship to fabric stands out in the SS 2016 collection. In strictly monochromatic colors, Doma plays around with the proportions of pantsuits, cloaks, dresses and jackets. I particularly enjoyed the elegant dresses that were then slashed to shreds at the bottom. It reminded me of old Rei Kawakubo. Also, in the vein of Rick Owens, there was a kind of sexy unsexiness to this collection, with wide and loose garments falling upon the models in such a way that only hinted at eroticism.
 

Arthur Arbesser


If there has been a moment of, “This designer has arrived!” this season, ala with Alessandro Michele at Gucci last season, it has been Arthur Arbesser. Arbesser released his debut collection as creative director for knit brand Iceberg as well as his first line for his namesake brand. Both collections were different and great in their own ways.

Arbesser brought bohemian sensibilities to Iceberg, with pin stripe satin bomber jackets worn over cropped pants. The clothes were very casual but cool and effortless. No one has thought of Iceberg for some time, but with Arbesser designing the ready-to-wear and Olivier Zahm heading the campaigns, it could be the new heritage thing. Wait to see what Arbesser does with the knits for a winter collection.

Balthus inspired everything. Arthur Arbesser paid attention to that notion with his SS 2016 collection under his namesake brand, installing a giant Balthus cat in the middle of his floor. The girls walking in the show looked painfully young; both in their facial features and in their little school girl mini skirts and also the Nikes and pajamas. I so often hate this sort of pubescent fashion that I am even more impressed with Arbesser that I like this. He’s searching for a romance in youth and I have to say he’s found it. And those blue leather pieces, hot damn.

Julianna Vezzetti's Picks

Prada

Prada didn’t leave any angle un-textured or un-embellished; metaphysical in the truest sense of the word. The collection created layers of content that could make you hiccup. The SS 2016 collection is seemingly a working girl on acid. The elongated silhouettes allow dimensions to be layered with additional accessories and patterns. Muted metallic and electric lace bibs offer the idea that we are just visiting this planet. The tailored samurai skirt with matching blazer eludes a strict rhetoric lifestyle. The wispy hair and drop waist dresses spark ‘40 and ‘50s-era inspirations; like Tim Burton doing Casablanca. Color accents were strategically placed with socks, gloves and earrings proving leverage to draw the eye out to see it as a whole identity.

Fendi

Fendi SS 2016 opened with a fiery red to ambre shade of dusty salmon and cool white. All of the trimmings manifest a vision of a Swiss girl with a militant edge. The braiding of leather and fabric accent the large well pockets in the dresses giving a sense of utility. The garments also relish a fashion functionality with the “skort” like design and culotte wide legged pants. Belief in this theory allows you two ideas within one singular collection. Flowing printed prairie dresses and billowing sleeves give the feminine tone to the masculine tailored structures. If all is fair in love and war then what are we fighting for.

Jil Sander

Will you drink the Kool-Aid of the country cult leader draped in silks and sanctity? The Jil Sander SS 2016 collection offered tweed hats acting as a protection barrier to shield unwanted followers in your direction. The ominous sounds and designs paint a very surreal vision of religion. It has a fine tuned reference point that can almost be read as boring, but with ample contingency to the presentation. The repetition off the shoulder design highlighted a consistent design. The cable cord belts create a restrictive and controlled energy much like a cult counterpart. The layering aspect has been all over the runway but Rodolfo Paglialunga embodies a comfort and effortless perspective at Jil Sander. He recognizes the DNA Jil created to carry on the legacy of the brand, but has played down some of the brutality and harshness that Sander was beloved by many for using.

MSGM

The opening sounds of dance punk band Le Tigre at the MSGM SS 2016 were electric. The models matched the intensity of the boisterous music by charging full speed down the runway. The energy created by the caustic music and fast-moving models was emblematic of the color palette of MSGM’s SS 2016 collection’s shocking ultraviolet hues. The layering in this collection offered a femininity to what was a slightly Tomboy-ish presentation. I was struck with a sense of nostalgia for my coveted JNCOs and chain wallet I would rock in the late ‘90s. The pastel ruffles paired with wide-legged short trousers exuded hues of that bygone era. The bondage of punk was presented in a very pop art manner with flowing chain dresses and chest pieces. This grunge girl is a skater who also happens to play with textural design. Using billowing fabrics at the hips, she communicates the source of her power.

Text by Autre Fashion Editor Adam Lehrer and contributor Julianna Vezzetti

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